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A World Without Music
Continuing from Episode 006 of the Wings of Red arc, '''A World Without Music' paints a much darker future for Wings of Archadia as they find themselves increasingly more tense while their leader, Royce Blixtrande, remains in a coma under the watchful eye of Mina Blutbayne. The Dreadnaughts continue their search for a powerful magical artifact said to possess enough power to reshape the world. Meanwhile, Mina finds out information that digs up her troubled past and the truth may very shock everyone she knows.'' Quality Time Zander and Jakko remained silent in their holding cells. Apparently, their little outburst outside of town had caught the unwanted attention of several guards and were quickly detained and imprisoned. Zander sat with his back against the cold stone wall, his head leaned back as he stared out the barred window, arms folded across his chest and one leg over the other as he rocked it back and forth. Rays of light peered through and cast a warm glow against the floor in front of him. Jakko, separated in a different cell, laid flat on his back along a long wooden bench bolted to the wall. His hands were folded behind his head as a makeshift pillow and kept his eyes closed as if he were napping. Neither member spoke to the other. An armored guard, complete with metal halberd, walked down the hallway past both cells. He glanced towards the two bandmates to make sure they were behaving. Satisfied that the two weren't causing any trouble, he continued his walk and again Zander and Jakko were left in complete silence. Finally, Jakko spoke. "They'll probably just fine us for disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct." He said without opening his eyes or even tilting his head towards Zander. The flame mage continued staring out the window, attempting to ignore Jakko. "Do you think Nestor will post our bail?" Again, the bass player attempted to strike a conversation, only to be dismissed as per usual from Zander. "Well this is going to be a fun time." Jakko said sarcastically. Another few minutes went by in silence before Jakko finally brought up the one question he really wanted to ask. "What are you going to do when you get out of here?" Jakko asked with one eye open looking at Zander, examining his reaction and waiting for a response. Zander stopped moving his leg immediately. Jakko brought himself up into a sitting position, slightly hunched forward with his fingers woven together and his elbows propped just above his knees. He looked directly at Zander. "You're still going after your brother, aren't you?" Jakko appeared much calmer than before. Zander, still with his arms folded over his chest and staring out past the metal bars on the window. "Yes." That's all he said without breaking his stare. "Then I'm coming with you." Jakko responded, which seemed to finally cause Zander to turn his head. "You'll die." Zander simply responded. "And what about you?" Jakko retorted. "I don't expect to come back. My brother is even more powerful than me. You wouldn't stand a chance against him." "So then why are you going after him?" Jakko looked at Zander through the iron bars separating both cells. "Because I need to know. We made a promise." Zander concentrated on a single memory. "We got no where to go, Zander. Lets drop the cryptic talk." Zander paused for a moment, contemplating if he would share any of the details concerning his past. After taking a deep breath through his nose, Zander spoke. "My brother and I came from a family with six sons. We were raised in a city east of here in the Kingdom of Bellum from a stern but fair father. A renowned Fire Mage at the time, he worked closely with the governing body as a Justiciar of the Prism Flame. He was tasked with detaining rogue mages and had the authority to judge them, and in some instances, execute them if it was called for. As he grew old and we become of age, he appointed us as Sheriffs of each of the six districts within the city. I was made Sheriff of the Blue Flame, Xerxes was Sheriff of the Red Flame, and we were the chief police force. Frankly, I didn't care for seeking justice, more so I just wanted the opportunity to fight against strong opponents. Xerxes felt the same way." Zander's memories were becoming so vivid that it was as if he were really there. "My brothers and I did our job, and we did it well. But as any job that involves bringing criminals to justice, you earn a long list of enemies. And everything changed the day our father took power." Jakko's interest peaked. "With our family halting illegal activities, criminal bosses found ways to threaten the government with physical harm and death to them and their family. Facing overwhelming pressure and fear, the government chose to meet the criminals' demands, which ultimately meant the life of our father. It was a setup, but our father proved much more cunning and intelligent then they realized and he retaliated, killing his attackers and some members of the governing body who were present. Our father became vindictive and decided to strike back." Zander's eyes trailed to the floor, as if heavy. "First came the criminal bosses. In one scorching wave, we eradicated them and their employees. But we knew that it wasn't just them. The government showed just how weak and easily corrupted they were. While I hesitated, my other brothers decided to eliminate them, as well. Before I knew what happened, the castle was completely set ablaze in a brilliant display of multicolored fire. I remember that day. We stood on the still burning ruins of buildings and watched as citizens looked up at us like gods. Embers floating up towards the black smoke filled sky. There was no going back." Stunned by Zander's revelation, Jakko tried to force words out of his mouth by stumbled as he did so. A guard walked into the room and banged on the metal bars with his halberd. "No talking." Zander merely gave him a stern look and the guard shrunk back into his armor and proceeded towards the room he appeared from. "The next year was spent creating a new government with my father assuming the role of defacto king. Initially the citizens of Rixa were hesitant in accepting their new ruler after such a vicious coup, but realizing that we provided a much more important service than the former governing body, they slowly accepted my father and his new law. While still stern and serious, he continued to rid the city of crime and set an example for any who would try to commit them with capital punishment, such as displays in town squares. Barbaric? Yes. But publicly whipping politicians for war profiteering helped curb more crime then sending them to prisons. I would like to think people felt more at ease than the former way things were being run." "How did you end up in Ilmarinen?" Jakko replied, attentive to what Zander was saying as this was the first time he spoke this many words to anyone within the band. Just then, the door sprung open and the two expected another guard to come out to shush them but instead they were met with the frightening image of Mina barging through the door. She had her hands on her hips and cast such a cold stare that Jakko's face drained of all color. "You two are a bunch of idiots, you know that?" Jakko sheepishly lowered his head as if being scolded like a child while Zander immediately fell silent again. "Lucky that there are a few fans here in the city with enough power to get you guys released. Count your lucky stars." She said while pointing a finger at them and when she finished a guard came by and slid a key in the lock on the door, turning it to release Zander first, then Jakko. "Sorry, Mina. We didn't..." Jakko started to speak. "I don't want to hear it." Mina interrupted and walked past the two. Once the trio were outside, Mina wasted no time in berating the two for their confrontation outside, "Royce is in the hospital and I come to find you two acting like children. What were you two thinking?" She angrily pointed her finger at the two of them, thrusting it forward as she spoke. "I know, Mina, but listen. We got into a bit of a beef about how we would go about handling Royce's situation and things got heated, is all." He looked at Zander. He was obviously lying about what really happened and chose to leave out the detail about Zander wanting to leave. "Guess we were still a little heated up with what happened to him." Zander remained quiet, instead choosing to look off into the distance. Mina looked at them both with her hands resting on her hips once more. "Exactly what happened? I want to know everything." The three made their way back to Magnolia Hotel. As they traveled Jakko recounted what happened: their trip, the abrupt landing at Stonehaven, the tattooed man and the girl hitting on Royce at the bar. Royce disappearing. Zander and Jakko fighting against Arno and Crow. And then finally seeing Lancaster. As he spoke, Mina became more attentive when Jakko described the individuals in the story, especially when it came to Lancaster. Her face made a sudden change in expression, a flash of shock, as if something about Jakko's description seemed familiar to her. "Did you get the man's name? Did you get any of their names?" Mina quickly said. She clearly seemed worried about something. "We didn't get any of their names, except for Zander's brother, Xerxes. Is something wrong?" Jakko asked. "You two get your asses back to the hotel and stay there until I get back. No more fighting. No more venturing off on your own. Got it?" She demanded. "You stay put." "Yeah, we got it." Jakko responded and looked towards Zander, who simply puffed a small breath through his nose. The Father Figure Nestor stepped out of Royce's room intending to go outside for another smoke. He pulled the crumpled pack from his pant pocket and shook the contents inside. There were two cigarettes left. He grumbled to himself knowing he would need to purchase another pack soon. Just then he overheard a doctor speaking to a nurse. "How's Mr. Hammond doing?" The older doctor asked the female nurse and she went through a stack of folders until she found the correct patient. "Mr. Hammond has regained conciousness and we've replaced his bandages with fresh ones." She handed the folder to the doctor and he thumbed through its contents. "Poor guy. Burns across nearly 70% of his body and he still managed to survive the fire. We've got healers working around the clock to try and repair as much of the damage as they can." Nestor scratched the stuble on the side of his face as he looked at the pair talking. His fingernails scraped across the surface of his skin, creating a sound like a saw cutting through wood. His curiousity made him walk over and speak to the doctor. "Excuse me, are you talking about Harvell Hammond?" He asked as he placed the cigarettes back into his pocket. "And you are?" The doctor responded with his own question as the nurse and him turned their attention to the grizzly looking older gentleman standing in front of them. "Nestor Stocks. I knew Harvell Hammond back in Ilmarinen, before he moved here and opened up an antique shop. What happened to him?" "Mr. Hammond suffered extensive burns when his shop caught on fire. He was trapped inside but managed to crawl to safety when a portion of the basement wall adjacent to the sewers gave way and created an opening. We found him just in time and have been treating him for the last few days." Nestor showed concern at the news of his former friend and immediately asked, "Is it possible that I could see him? I know its rude to ask, but I couldn't help but overhear you saying that he was awake." The doctor was hesitant to respond to Nestor's plea, turning his head slightly with one hand up. "It will only be for a moment. Just to see how he's doing and if he needs anything." Nestor, again, tried to persuade the doctor. The doctor checked his watch and then looked around to see if there were any others listening. "You have 5 minutes, but I have to insist that Mr. Hammond needs his rest after that." Nestor simply nodded and expressed his gratitude before making his way towards the room he was directed to. When he arrived at Hammond's room, Nestor barely recognized the man that he used to know. Hammond's face was only partially healed, heavy scaring remained around his lips and eyes, the skin still blistered and red in some areas, and carefully sipped water through a straw as he winced in pain. The bandages around his body were much more extensive than the ones around Royce, covering nearly every inch of his body save for his face. They even extended around his forehead and top of his head. "What happened to you?" Nestor finally said, startling Hammond in the process and causing him to choke on his water. Even coughing was enough to cause pain to shoot throughout his body. "Geez, you scared me half to death. Don't you know its rude to..." He paused, fixing his gaze at the man at the door. "Nestor? Is that you?" He asked. "Long time no see, Harvell." Nestor replied and walked up to Hammond. "You look like you've seen better days." "Oh, this?" Hammond replied quick-wittedly. "Just a minor misunderstanding with a customer." Hammond slowly adjusted himself in his bed so he could sit up and look at Nestor clearer. "Is that so?" Nestor sat at the edge of the bed, keeping himself eye level with Hammond. "That's some misunderstanding. What happened?" "Well, you know that I deal in antiquities, some of minor wealth and some of not so minor wealth. So its not uncommon for treasure seekers to come in and try to acquire these items." Nestor could sense that speaking was labor intensive for Hammond. Nestor grabbed the water cup and held it up to Hammond's face, adjusting the straw so that it was easier for him to drink from. Hammond took a few slow sips and let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, thank you." He let the water cool his throat and then he continued speaking. "A man came in the other day seeking a particular artifact that I was not willing to part with. He had this vibrant red hair that matched his eyes. He said his name was Crow and he wielded some form of red fire that I've never seen before." As Hammond described his attacker, Nestor immediately recognized the same man from Jakko's description and knew that these two instances couldn't be coincidental. Wanting to get to the bottom of this, Nestor's face became very serious. "Harvell, what was this man after?" Hammond paused for a moment, deciding in his mind if he was going to divulge the information to his friend from long ago. After a few seconds, Hammond had made up him mind. "Its about the Sampo." Hammond said ominously. Learning The Truth This was now the third time Clyde found himself on his back. Not something completely uncommon when sparring with the more experienced Roffe. The two found themselves sparring in a large courtyard near the hotel, though kept their fight light, without using any magic as to not stir up too much trouble. "Feel free to begin trying, Clyde." Roffe said with a smile as he casually looked down at his bandmate. From his position, Roffe appeared upside down to Clyde, so he merely tilted his back to speak. "C'mon, man, you're making me look bad in front of the lady." The lady that Clyde was referring to was a very bored Diandra sitting on a nearby bench, her elbows on her knees and her hands under her chin. While she loved Wings of Archadia, her true love went to Zander. Though she has made it a point to clear up, time and time again, that it's not that crazy/creepy kind of love. So watching Clyde being thrown on his back repeatedly was not something that really impressed her. So much that she visibly yawned with her eyes only half open. Clyde, seeing his nonexistent chances with Diandra, immediately shot up to his feet and back into his crude self defense stance: fists balled up and slightly raised, elbows out, and feet slightly apart. He rushed forward towards the cool Roffe who had a single hand in his pocket, while fixing his glasses with the other. Clyde threw a fist and Roffe casually turned his body, allowing it to harmlessly pass him as Clyde overextended himself, loosing some of his own footing and tripping past him. With his back to Roffe, Clyde spun his body with an awkward kick and Roffe grabbed it by the ankle before it could connect, leaving Clyde in a precarious situation. Roffe simply responded by sweeping his other leg and dropping the blonde bandmember down to the floor once again, landing with a thud on his back. Roffe continued to smirk as he looked down at Clyde who was rubbing his lower back. Roffe leaned over with both hands in his pocket, "Looks like she's not that impressed." And chuckled to himself. Diandra was, in fact, becoming increasingly bored. To the point she was fixing her clothing and preparing to stand up. Mostly likely to leave. She fixed her white pleated skirt and made her high top white sneakers were tightly tied. She stood up and stretched her arms high above her head and then began rolling her ankles, as if preparing for something. Clyde propped himself up on one of his elbows, facing her. "Is she leaving?" Roffe looked over to her, a bit puzzled by her actions. "Hmph, she looks like she's getting ready for something." And before the two could say a word, Diandra was already in mid flight with a kick aimed directly at Roffe. Surprised by this, Roffe ducked under the kick and she landed behind him. Roffe went to protest her actions and was about to speak but was interrupted by another kick, to which he parried with his arm. Without dropping it to the floor, Diandra brought the same leg back towards Roffe. She repeated this action with each parry and then ended with a high kick that Roffe stepped back to avoid. Clyde was frozen in complete awe at the spectacle unfolding in front of him. Like a professional ballerina, Diandra spun herself on her planted foot and brought the same leg she had been attacking with in a complete circle and back down on Roffe one more time. Roffe raised his forearm and intercepted the kick, blocking it while Diandra held it in place. "Looks like you've got some skills." Roffe complimented and pushed the leg away from him. Diandra took a defensive stance and smiled. "Figured you'ld want a better challenge." She said in her childlike voice. Clyde immediately raised himself once more, his pride being further brusied at the sight of the more experienced Diandra. Not wanting to feel even more emasculated, Clyde brashly launched himself forward towards Roffe. As he passed Diandra, he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. I can handle this just fine." And Clyde threw a punch that Roffe stepped to the side to avoid. The more seasoned fighter casually dodged the attack and slapped the back of Clyde's neck to cause him to stumble once again. Diandra took this opportunity to rush towards Roffe while he was momentarily distracted, launching a thrust attack with her hand, her fingers sticking out straight like daggers and aiming for his head. Even without looking, Roffe could sense the attack and instinctively turned his body and grabbed her by the wrist and shoulder and pushed her past him, watching her slow herself to a complete stop as Clyde rose up and faced Roffe. The two young fighters stared at Roffe for a moment and he simply smiled and fixed his glasses. He then raised his hand and gestured for the two to come at him all while he continued smiling. The two charged at him, Clyde leaping into the air with his fist reeled back and Diandra rushing from below. They sent a flurry of attacks, punches and kicks, but Roffe proved so experienced that he managed to block and parry each one without any visible signs of effort, still smiling as the two scrappy fighters tried as best as they could to land a single blow. Clyde went for a punch and Roffe simply scooped his arm and twisted his body, bringing Clyde over his shoulder and tossing him to the ground, rolling a few feet away and harshly stopping flat on his stomach. Diandra attempted another kick but Roffe ducked under it and slid forward, placing him directly behind her and he simply shoved her forward with his arm, causing her to lose balance on her one planted foot and she clumsily staggered forward, landing directly on Clyde with her sitting on his back. Clyde's arms gave way and he collapsed back on the floor once again with a groan. Diandra grumbled and rubbed her backside before she realized where she fell. Embarrassed, she apologized as her face blushed a bright red on her cheeks, "Sorry." She said sheepishly. "Its alright. But could you get off of me now?" Clyde simply responded. Roffe smiled at the two but it was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Jakko who was calling to them. He stood at the far end of the courtyard, gesturing with his arm to come to him, and just like that their sparring was over. ---- It felt like the last few days has completely turned Wings of Archadia's life upside down. They were thrust from their comfortable living as stars in Ilmarinen, then attacked and now found themselves in an unbelievable plot. Nestor stood at the center of the room, while the rest of the group formed a crescent shape around him. With the time now later in the afternoon, the hotel lobby was relatively quiet, with everyone heading off to dinner. Everyone was very attentive as Nestor spoke, relaying the information he heard from Hammond during his visit. "So from what Hammond can deduce, this Lancaster guy is after something called the Sampo. What he gathers from his research is that its supposed to be some sort of vault for magical energy created way before Ilmarinen existed." Nestor did his best to not muddle Hammond's words, though not being a history buff himself, some of the details were a bit confusing to interpret. "Apparently the Forbidden District right below the Foundation was the initial stepping stone of our city. It was a large settlement built within the caves that took advantage of the large mineral deposits in our mountains. The people there worshipped magic. So much that they established a diety around it. The history books don't have too much on who these people were or what diety they worshipped as a lot of it seems to have been omitted." Several members of the group had their interests peaked, such as Diandra who herself WAS a history buff and had never heard of such a thing. "Wait, but that doesn't make any sense. In school, we were always told the Forbidden District was the opposite. It was the city's attempt to expand downward and into the mountains so we could harvest the rare stones inside long ago. I've never heard of people existing there or worship before." Diandra stated with skepticism in Nestor's words. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger, young lady. I'm just telling you what Hammond told me." He raised his hands in defense. "Hammond guesses that whatever happened down there was something bad. So bad that they removed it from the history books so no one would go down there searching for treasures." Nestor took out his pack of cigarettes from his brown shirt pocket and pulled one free. He pressed it against his lips, lit the end and took a slow drag. He let out a long puff of smoke before continuing. "Anyways, the Sampo, this magical vault is some sort of containment device for a massive amount of magical energy. Hammond thinks that Lancaster wants that energy for himself. He gathers that whoever possesses this level of power could theoretically become the diety they worshipped." "C'mon, Hammond. This sounds like something out of a bad comic book. Big magical vault containing infinite energy to become some kinda god?" Clyde said leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. Jakko was hunched forward, his fingertips touching one another as he looked back towards Clyde as he spoke. He couldn't disagree with the young upstart. A lot of the story seemed farfetched. "Hey, what did I say?" Nestor pointed his cigarette at Clye. "I'm just telling you like I heard it. And even he was skeptical at first. But I know Hammond. We grew up in Ilmarinen and his profession was treasure hunting. If he says the story is true, chances are it is." Nestor said in defense of Hammond. The rest of the group became quiet and listened to what Nestor had to say. "A long time ago, Hammond came to me for some help getting out of Ilmarinen. He said he had found something, something he couldn't tell me, but it was dangerous enough that he needed to leave the city. I didn't ask him about it. Figured if he wanted me to know, he would've told me. My job before I met you boys, even before the pub, was..." The old man paused for a moment. "... unsavory in a way. I helped people smuggle goods in and out of the city. Its not something I care to share and I ain't starting now." His voice rose at the end there when he noticed Jakko and Roffe preparing to ask him something. They stopped in mid motion and remained silent. "Hammond needed out without anyone knowing. So we said our goodbyes and I managed to get him out. Never heard from him since today. Diandra hesitated for a moment as Nestor took another drag. Cautiously, she opened her mouth. "What was he trying to get out of the city?" She asked. "It was some sort of key he was protecting. He said it was the only proof he had that the Sampo existed and thinks its the only thing that can open the vault. Whatever you and I think, he seems to believe whole heartedly. And if this thing is real and this Lancaster guy gets it, you can bet its going to be nothing but trouble." "So what are we waiting for then?" Jakko immediately asked. "We need to warn somebody in Ilmarinen of what's going on?" "And you think people are going to believe us?" Nestor shot back. "Well we need to try. I still have contacts in Silver Guard. Maybe they can relay the message." Jakko defended his statement. "What are the chances that some rockstar from the Industrial District has information regarding an ancient device from a long forgotten civilization making its way to the Sky District in front of the Circle of Seven?" The group seemed to fall quiet when Jakko couldn't think of a proper response to Nestor's question. Without looking up at anyone, Clyde spoke once again. "We could ask my dad." He said plainly. "Your dad? What good would your dad do us?" Jakko shot back. No one knew who Clyde's parents were. They figured he came from some middle class family like most people. "Well..." The rest of the group seemed attentive now. "He's one of the Seven." It seemed like the entire group let out a collective gasp as the shock of Clyde being a son of one of the Jarls. Making Tough Decisions Clyde was already packing his bags when Jakko stepped into the room. "You never told us your dad was a Jarl." He asked the young band member. "Didn't think it was important." Clyde responded without looking back at Jakko and placed another neatly folded into his suitcase. "Besides, its not something I would want people to know anyways. Last thing I want is unwanted attention." He turned and grabbed another piece of clothing and began folding it. "Yeah, but this is different, Clyde. You're down here with us, in the dirt, when you could be living up there in the sun." Jakko walked over to Clyde's side to make sure he was in his line of sight. "What makes you think that's what I wanted?" Clyde placed the clothing down and put his hands on his hips. "Up there, the second you're born you're expected certain things. You have to be something. And what you end up being may not always be what you end up wanting." Clyde continued speaking as Jakko listened. "My dad wanted me to be a politician, work in the city's treasury, living each and every day with the notion of making money. I disagreed about what's important, he thought I was childish, and the rest his history." He abruptly stopped telling his story. Jakko, not entirely sure how to take this new found information, quickly asked. "What do you mean the rest his history? That's a pretty vague statement." "Its more than I wanted to share and there's nothing else more that I want to say about it." Clyde responded tensely. This was the first time Jakko saw Clyde visibly agitated that wasn't in a joking manner. The young member continued to pack his clothes, this time more aggressively as he shoved the rest into his suitcase and shut it. "So are we going or what?" Jakko was taken back by Clyde's attitude, and while he could understand his frustration he needed to remind him that Royce was in no condition to travel. "Then we should split." Clyde said without much thought. His responses seemed impulsive and out of character. "Royce is tough, he'll be fine. And we all don't have to go." He pulled the suitcase off the bed. "I can do this by myself." And with that he headed for the door. Jakko stepped in between with his hands up in a non confrontational way. "Whoa, take it easy, Clyde. What's the deal?" "What do you mean?" Clyde shot back. "You heard what Nestor said. We can't be wasting time." "Yeah, I know, but there's clearly something sinister going on. And it looks like we all got targets on our heads. We can't be splitting up right now." Jakko tried to sound to reason with Clyde. "I'm not a kid, Jakko. And frankly, you're not my dad." Clyde was cold with his last words and Jakko was visibly stung by them. "You're right. I'm not your dad. But I am your friend and I'm just concerned with all that's happened recently. You can't go on your own. Let one of us come with you." Jakko tried to reassure him. "Whatever. I just want this over with." And with that Clyde walked shoved his way past Jakko and out the door. Later that afternoon, Clyde waited impatiently downstairs in the lobby of the hotel, purposely avoiding talking to anyone. Jakko and Roffe walked towards him, Roffe with a large black dufflebag over his shoulder. They exchanged a few words before stopping near Clyde. They bumped fists and Jakko tried to say goodbye to the young one, who responded coldly with a quick nod. "Are we ready to go or what?" But before either Roffe or Jakko could respond, Clyde had turned his back and quickly walked out the door. It wasn't long before Mina found out that Clyde and Roffe left even though she explicitly told them all to stay put. The fury that she let out, as well as her choice of colorful words, caused patrons and employees of the hotel to gasp and quickly walk past her room. Her anger seemed to shake the entire building down to its foundation and Jakko recoiled as she hovered over him. One final statement came and the door to her room opened. Jakko flew out, landing face first into the carpeted hallway. Nestor stood nearby with his arms folded over his chest. "So how did it go?" He asked, extending the "go". "She's mad." Jakko replied with his face still firmly flat on the ground. As Nestor helped Jakko up, Mina's room door opened and she stood there with luggage in hand. Nestor blinked a few times, confused. "Wait, where are you going?" Angrily, she responded. "So I'm the only one that actually needs to tell anyone where I'm going?" Nestor could feel the heat coming off her face with each word. Defensively, he raised his hands, dropping Jakko back down to the ground, and stepped back to give Mina plenty of room to walk past him. "I need to talk to someone. I'll be back in about a week. Watch Royce, and if he's healthy enough to move, go back to Ilmarinen and stay there." "Is there anything you want me to tell him when he wakes up?" Nestor asked just as Mina reached the stairwell. She paused for a moment, resting her hand on the wooden rail. She didn't turn back, nor said a word. And after a few seconds she continued down the stairs until she was out of sight. Back in the hospital, Royce appeared as still as when Mina had left him. What she wanted to say wasn't something she wanted to share with Nestor. Instead, she went to visit Royce one last time before she headed out on her own. With the sun starting to set, it cast a warm orange glow through the window, its rays bathing Royce in an almost ethereal glow. She walked up to him slowly and quietly, as if not wanting to wake him. Though deep down inside she wished he would. Mina gently slid her finger across Royce's forehead, sweeping his white hair away from his face, sliding down his cheek and tracing his jaw. For as much as she needed to leave, she found it impossible to pull her hand away from Royce, as if they were two magnets holding on to each other. Her hand made its way down to his chest and he could feel the steady and strong beat of his heart. The tears welled up in her eyes as she looked down at him. Words were difficult to say, so she leaned in and placed her soft lips on his, holding them there for a few moments. The world seemed quiet and still around them, and she wished it could last longer. A tear rolled half way down her cheek and hung there before finally letting go and falling onto Royce. She pulled away from his lips and finally spoke, "Goodbye." She whispered and quickly walked out the door while wiping her eyes. The room remained silent in her absence as Royce laid there. Mina's tear slowly slid down the side of his face, shimmering as the sunlight hit off it. If Mina had waited just a few more seconds she could've seen it. Not the tear twinkling in the light. But Royce's fingers slowly curling back into his hand as his eyelids opened. > Continued in Back On The Road Summary Fights & Events *'Zander's past is briefly revealed' *'Crow's real name is Xerxes Isdal, and is the older brother of Zander' *'Nestor finds out from Hammond what Lancaster is after' *'Clyde and Diandra vs Roffe' (Sparring - Interrupted) *'Clyde's father is Jarl within the Circle of Seven in Ilmarinen' *'Clyde and Roffe journey back to Ilmarinen' *'Mina has left for unknown reasons' Magics, Spells & Abilities Used *'None used'